After Flagg, how did the Mavericks seize the opportunity?

. The Mavericks still have some trading chips available, such as the 2029 Lakers first round they received in Doncic trading, as well as assets from Gafford or other potential exchanges. Simply put, the sooner I can find an answer to Irving's health problem, the higher the chances of the Mavericks' championship, because a healthy defender has a better chance of winning than a seriously injured defender.

But more likely, Irving will eventually choose to renew his contract, when the length of his next contract with Davis will become crucial. Judging from the current situation, Davis's contract will expire in the summer of 2028, which is the last year of Flag's rookie contract. Perhaps this is the key point of the team. Davis and Irving will be retained for three years, and the maximum salary space will be cleared in 2028 and Flag will be officially replaced. The only question is how to satisfy Davis, who will definitely ask for an early renewal before that. According to previous Yahoo reporter Goodwin, the Lakers did not plan to renew their contract with Davis in 2025, which is probably a reasonable choice. After all, no team would want to pay a huge salary when Davis was 36 years old.

Even if Harris himself does not face these problems, the Mavericks must think carefully. When he traded Doncic, he once said: The future in my eyes is within three or four years.

But now, such a timetable cannot even be completed in Flag's rookie contract, and the team's decision-making logic must be completely changed. Flag is now the most important figure in this team. This is not only a matter of performance on the court, but also the biggest opportunity for the team to redeem past mistakes and win the support of fans again.

The Mavericks now need to find a balance, and they don't have to completely abandon the reconstruction timeline set by Harris, but they must first put Flag's development.

Although his growth trajectory as the No. 1 pick will be different from other traditional reconstruction routes, he can get rid of the early bad routes and start directly in a playoff-level team. This is an advantage that many potential newcomers do not have, and it is also an initial high-quality condition that many reconstruction teams do not have.